Goblin Rebels
by Elizabeth Cooper
Summary: Jordan isn't Sarah. She hates makeup, wears only black, and gave up believing in fairytales years ago. But she's also the daughter of Sarah, and people in her family have a bad track-record of getting involved with goblins...and their kings.
1. Prologue

**Note: This is my first book on Fanfiction. So, just to warn you, it's probably going to be pretty bad. I've been a fan of the Labyrinth for years, and I've come up with ideas for many different fanfics based on it, but I haven't posted them here. So I was thinking, why not? I'm on Christmas break, and it people like it, I might actually continue it. I'll post at least the first few chapters, though, before I decide. And who knows, you guys might actually like it...Disclaimer: Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson Company, not me. I simply admired the movie, but I don't own anything.**

**PROLOGUE**

_I have reordered time. I have turned the world upside down. And I have done it all for you…_

_Just fear me. Love me. Do as I say. And I will be your slave…_

…_You have no power over me…_

"That's what she said. Not me."

2013, The Goblin Palace

The palace's throne room was abuzz with action, as it was every day. Goblins danced, jumped, drank, and laughed in every direction. There wasn't a corner of peace in that room. In this insane chamber, there was one goblin who did not share the vigor emitted by everyone else.

The goblin came forward slowly. He had a guilty expression on his face as if he had done something so atrocious it deserved the punishment of death. He bowed in front of the throne, keeping his eyes to the ground. "Sire, excuse me, sire."

The crisp British accent responded. "Yes, what is it? I'm busy."

"Your majesty, it's about your son."

"What about my son."

"He's gone."

"Gone where?"

"I tried to stop him, sire. He just didn't listen to me. And then he tied me up and stuffed me into a garbage can. I-"

"I asked, to where?"

"To-to-to…"

"Spit it out. Where has the boy gone this time?"

"He said he was going to find your Sarah."

The room went silent. Not a goblin in the room uttered a word. The great Goblin King leaned forward, his green eye and blue eye examining the goblin shuddering before him.

In a deadly whisper, he said, "What did you say?"

It had been twenty-seven years since those fateful twenty-four hours. Those twenty-four hours that made him lose the thing he wanted most. Where was she now? Who was she with? And would he ever see her again?

2013, somewhere in America...same day

The phone rang sharply as she turned the corner. She pressed accept on her iPhone, and placed the hands-free set in her ear. "Hello."

"Mrs. Kerry?"

"This is she."

"Hello, this is Principal Meyers from your daughter Jordan's school."

"Oh, no. Did Jordan do something again?"

"The better question is, what didn't she do. Mrs. Kerry, I try to give every kid a chance, but Jordan simply refuses to listen. She misses school, she doesn't complete homework, and she refuses to keep her appointments with our counselor. I know she's a smart young lady, but she doesn't seem to have any drive to succeed. She looks at school as a prison. And this is the second time she's gotten into a fight."

"Mr. Meyers, I understand, and I appreciate everything you're doing. I'm afraid this is partially my fault. Her father and I divorced several months ago, and it's been difficult for her. If she did any damage to the school, I'll be sure to pay for it. Is she hurt? I'm near the school; I can be there in about ten minutes."

"Mrs. Kerry, I'm not calling you to tell you about the fight. I'm calling you to tell you your daughter left school after the fight, and she seemed distraught. I thought you might know where she went."

"I-I have no idea. She'll probably be home fine."

"Mrs. Kerry, you don't seem to be taking this situation seriously at all."

"Mr. Meyers, I don't tell you how to teach, so don't tell me how to be a parent." She clicked the phone off.

She drove for a moment, and then glanced at her phone, telling it, "Call Lisa."

After a moment of ringing, a voice came through the phone. "Hello?"

"Lisa, I won't be able to come in to the shop today. Can you take care of things?"

"Sure thing. Is it Jordan again?"

"Yes, she ran out of school again."

"Geez, Sarah, get her therapy."

Sarah didn't answer, looking outside her window as it began to rain. Whenever it rained, she thought of that night. It had changed her, forever. How could one day change your life, even if that was twenty-seven years ago? Where was he now, the great Goblin King? Did he still remember her?

Sarah shook her head. She had other things to worry about-she needed to find her daughter.


	2. Chapter One

**Here's chapter one. I'm not completely happy with it, but it'll have to do for now. Let me know what you guys think. Personally, I think it's a disaster, but then that may just be the perfectionist side of me coming out. Send me a review and tell me if it's all in my head or not.**

**Also, just a note. I received a message saying that Hoggle is a dwarf, not a goblin. I never said he wasn't: Toby said it. And, from a five year old's perspective, Hoggle could well be a goblin. But, as I talk about in my next chapter, Hoggle isn't anything like a goblin.**

**CHAPTER ONE. GOING UNDERGROUND**

"Give me the child. Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is as great. You have no power over me…Seriously, who writes this crap?"

Jordan stretched over on the grass, pushing the book as far from her as possible. Why did people write this drab nonsense anyway? The likelihood of getting into a situation like this character had gotten into was about nil. Why weren't there fairytales about princesses whose parents divorced and ended with her dying of a drug overdose? That would be more realistic.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Sitting up, she pulled it out. It was her mom. She didn't answer it. "Yeh, like I'm actually going to answer your call after I ditched school. Seriously, mom, do you know me at all?" She pushed her phone back into her pocket, tempted to throw it into the pond.

This park was right near the house her mom grew up in. Back in the eighties, it had been a pretty good neighborhood, but now it was considered part of the inner cities. Her mom never talked much about her old home. Uncle Toby barely remembered it either, being only about three when they moved. Her mom never really talked about her childhood. Well, who would? With her parents getting divorce and getting an outrageous stepmother, it was obviously a sore topic for her even now.

Jordan looked down at her book, dubbed _The Labyrinth_. This was the only thing her mother still had from when she was a child. Out of all the stuff she owned as a kid, why did she have to keep this book? It was useless anyway. She wondered what her mom's room looked like. What her house looked like. She looked up at the sky, as dark clouds surrounded her. She sighed.

She jumped up, pulling her black sweatshirt hood over her short dark hair. Rain. Most of her classmates hated rain, but she had always been the oddball who did. She remembered in preschool, running out into the rain at break. The teacher practically had a fit. To Jordan, rain was peaceful. When she listened to the rain, it was the only time that she forget her problems…her mother…her school. But getting wet wouldn't do her any good either.

Running in her black old sneakers, she headed out of the park. She ran up the streets, heading for a convenience store close by. She'd stop for some snacks and maybe she'd head home before nightfall. If she felt like it. Who would care if she didn't anyway?

Her phone buzzed again. She almost didn't check to see who it was, assuming it was her mother. But something made her stop under a tree and pull it out. To her surprise, it wasn't her mom. It was her mother's brother Toby. He lived in Dallas, working as a doctor in an emergency care facility. Despite her mother's claims that they were close, he rarely called. That might have something to do with working at all odd hours, though. He would, however, call Jordan or her mom out of the blue to see how they were doing.

Jordan shrugged, and accepted the call. "Hi?"

"How's my favorite niece?"

"Considering I'm your only niece, I don't think that's much of a compliment."

"True, but you're still my favorite. How's it going?"

"Usual. How about you?"

"Busy, as usual, but I'm going to be booked tomorrow, so I thought I'd call today."

"Huh?" Tomorrow? "Why would you call tomorrow?"

He paused. "You seriously don't remember?"

Jordan thought. Day she was going to drop-out of school? No. Day she was going to finally kill her Physics teacher? No. Day she was over-dosing on drugs? Possibly. Wait…

"Jordan, you can't have forgotten your birthday."

"Oh, right. You're right, I did forget."

"Come on, Jordan, you're turning sixteen. Sweet sixteen, right? How could you forget?"

"What's the point anyway? I'm just a day older, and everyone seems to think I should be totally different. I'm not going to change in twenty-four hours, you know."

"You never know." He paused. "Is something bothering you, Jordan?"

"Better question is: what isn't bothering me? Hey, this may seem like a random question, but why did mom keep that book about the goblin king? It's kind of boring, right?"

"Oh, you mean _The Labyrinth_?" His voice brightened. "I remember Sarah used to read that to me when I was little. I was fourteen years younger than her, you know. Sometimes, it felt like I was almost there in the story. You know, I met one also."

"Met who?"

"A goblin." He laughed. "Of course, I was imagining it. When I was five, I swore a goblin came up to me and gave me this necklace. The one I gave to you at your fifth birthday. Naturally, your mother told me she had given it to me, but I could have sworn a goblin gave me it." Jordan touched the necklace she wore under her sweatshirt. As she did, he continued, "He told me his name too. Oh, what was it? Hagger? Hettle? Hoggle? Yes, that was it. Hoggle. Silly, huh?"

"Bordering on crazy, Uncle T, which means you fit perfectly into our family."

"You know, Jordan, every fairytale comes from truth."

"And that's supposed to mean?"

"Just, happy birthday, Jordan. I hope your birthday is great."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeh, sure, bye."

Hanging up, she rolled her eyes. Her uncle could sure be stupidly obtimistic sometimes. On occasion, it got on her nerves. Who told him to bring up a story of when he hallucinated as a child?

She turned to glance up at the house she'd stopped in front of, reminiscing. It looked familiar. Wait… She recognized it from the pictures from when her mom was young. So this was the house Sarah grew up in. It didn't seem that impressive, just a typical suburban house. With how her mother talked, she thought it would be cooler.

At that moment, it started to rain even harder. As the tree wasn't the best cover when it was poring, she guessed she should probably find better cover. She covered her eyes with her arm and started running down the street, but she didn't get far.

She crashed into someone who seemed to have the same idea as her, running out from behind her mother's old house. Their collision had a bouncing affect; they bounced off each other and both fell to the ground. Jordan landed in a puddle of water.

"Watch where you're walking." Jordan scrambled to her feet, wringing out her sweatshirt. Great, now it was really drenched.

"Pardon?"

She glanced up, and did a double take. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't the guy standing before her. From the looks of him, he couldn't be much older than she. He had the lightest blonde hair she'd ever seen. In fact, she might go so far to say it was white. And long. It was longer than hers. But what immediately caught her attention were his eyes. One was a light blue-green color, and the other was dark.

For being so strange looking, she had to admit she liked his fashion sense. After all, knee high black boots, tight black pants, and military style black jacket were the height of fashion. Her fashion, at least. Above all that, was his accent…British?

He starred at her for a second, not speaking.

"Excuse me?" Jordan crossed her arms. "This is where you apologize."

Instead of doing just that, he reached inside his coat pocket and drew out a picture. He held it up, looking from it to her. Finally, he looked back at her. "Sarah?"

Jordan's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Sarah? I'm not Sarah. The only Sarah I know is my mom."

"Your mom?"

"Jordan!"

At the call of her name, Jordan glanced back. Speak of the devil. She saw the last person she wanted to see: her mom. Sarah Kerry stood down the block, hopping out of her car and pulling her umbrella out. Great, how did she find her? Were all moms psychic or something? Or just hers? She saw a grounding coming.

"Jordan? That's your name?"

Jordan glanced back at the strange dude. "So? What if it is?"

He took a step closer. "Interesting. Strange name." He glanced over her shoulder as Sarah came running towards them. "So, that's the infamous Sarah."

"Infamous?" Okay, so the guy was probably from a nut house. But who said she couldn't meet interesting people before she got grounded until kingdom come?

He took another step closer, now right in front of her. "So you're her daughter. This gets better and better. Alright, princess, let's see how much like your mother you are."

"Pardon?" Jordan's hands went to her hips. Was this guy trying to be scary of something? If so, he might as well know she wasn't the type to be scared by threats.

He gave her a mysterious smile. "Don't blink."

He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her into his arms, before she could do anything. His arms went around her shoulders firmly. His hair cascaded into her eyes, nearly blinding her.

She blinked.

Everything went dark.

When she opened her eye, it wasn't raining.

But she wasn't on a street either. She might even go so far to say she wasn't on Earth. She was on a hill, under a brown sky. She looked over his shoulder, behind him.

And before her lay a labyrinth.

She felt his breath against her ear as he whispered, "Ready to play?"


	3. Chapter Two

**Here's chapter two, and this is where we get to the characters everyone know and loves-or hates, whatever the case may be. Let me know if I didn't catch the essence of their character, because I tried really hard to keep everything in mind when writing this. Anyway, from now on, I'll be uploading a chapter every Saturday. At least, for the next couple of months. Hopefully, after that, school doesn't get in the way too much. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think.**

**CHAPTER TWO. CAUGHT IN THE PAST**

Sarah starred in a moment in shocked silence. "Jordan." She breathed, letting the umbrella had dropped off her shoulder and clatter to the ground.

Jordan…

She had been there a moment ago, standing just yards from Sarah. Then she had simply vanished. How? Who had been with her? The light blond hair…The clothing…It couldn't be.

Sarah took a step forward. His lips almost didn't want to say that word, but she did anyway. "Jareth."

It wasn't possible. She hadn't had any contact with the goblins or their king in years. But she only knew one person who could transport people to another world. Why Jordan? Why her daughter? It could be anyone else, but why her baby?

"Jordan!" She called out, tears coming to her eyes. She looked up at the sky, feeling anger boiling up inside her. He could take her, he could destroy her, he could try to take her brother, but he could not steal her daughter. "Give her back!" She shouted. "I wish…I wish the goblins would come take me to my daughter."

The wind starred picking up. Rain and wind pulled through Sarah like a hurricane. She grabbed her long brown raincoat tightly around her. Faintly, she heard the giggling that she hadn't heard for almost three decades. She had only been fifteen when she had first heard them, and now, even at forty-three she still felt a shiver of fear shake through her body. The wind picked up even more, causing her long dark hair to whip her face harshly. She covered her eyes with her arms, waiting for it to stop.

It did, as if the rain. She certainly wasn't dry, but the warm air ensured she probably wouldn't get a cold.

"Sarah?"

Sarah dropped her arms away from her face, looking at the familiar sight before her. She almost expected to be outside the Labyrinth and have to fight her way through again to find her daughter, but it didn't seem so. Instead, she was on a street of the goblin city. She turned to find the source of the voice, shocked when she found it.

"Hoggle!"

The small dwarf gazed up at her with shock. He responded in his deep, gruff. "Well, what are ye doin' here?"

"Hoggle!" Sarah sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around her old friend's neck. "Oh, Hoggle, I've missed you so much!"

"Yes, yes, well you don't have to hug me like that. It creeps me out." He jumped back, untangling her fingers from his neck. "Now, will you answer my question?"

"Hoggle, have you seen a human girl around here?"

"Human girl? No, not since you last came. I don't like to be around human girls as a rule; look how much trouble one gave me."

"No, this isn't just any human girl. It's my daughter. She was there one minute with someone who looked vaguely like the goblin king, and then the next minute she had vanished. Only one thing could have happened: Jareth had to have kidnaped her. I'm so worried about what he is going to do to her! Will you help me? Oh, Hoggle, please help me!" For a moment, she felt like she was back to being fifteen, and Hoggle had been the first person to help her in the goblin kingdom.

"Slow down, will you? You're giving me a headache." Hoggle stroked his forehead with his finger. "Now, let me get this straight: you have a daughter? And she was kidnaped by someone from our realm?"

"It wasn't just someone, Hoggle. It looked so much like Jareth. Like a young less flamboyant, younger version of him."

"Prince Calcifer, possibly?"

"Who?"

"Oh, I forget you haven't been around for…Oh, how long has it been? A couple decades, surely. Prince Calcifer is Jareth's son, of course."

"Son?" Sarah gave him an unbelieving look. "Jareth has a son?"

Hoggle nodded. "Twice as mischievous as his father, they say. It would be just like him, you know, to do something like this. Trying to get back at his father, I suppose."

"But where's my daughter?"

He shrugged. "If you want to find out that, you might have to find Jareth."

Sarah was afraid of that. Their last meeting hadn't been that pleasant. After all, she had refused all he offered and informed him that he had no power over her. She wouldn't be surprised if he still held deep feeling of anger and resentment towards her. "Hoggle, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. He'd probably refuse to help me anyway. Isn't there a way of finding her on our own?"

"I-I suppose so. But, look, that maybe isn't the best idea. She could anywhere. We could be searching the Labyrinth for months before finding her. Unless you want that, Jareth is your best option."

Sarah bit her lip. Great, he was the last person she wanted to see. She just wanted Jordan back. But it looked like she had no choice. "Okay, let's go."

Hoggle walked along in front of her, with the cute sort of hobble of his. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten how adorable he was, for being so gruff and unfeeling. He had put on such a stiff outer shell, but his heart was the kindest in the world. She realized she'd missed him. She had missed them all. She wondered if Ludo and Sir Didymus were here too. She wondered if they were the same as well.

As they walked up the streets to the castle, she noticed that nothing seemed have changed. This place seemed to be frozen in time, and it made her realize how much she had changed since the last time she had walked through these streets. When she was last here, she was merely a child, and now she was a grown woman. So why did she feel like she was fifteen again?

They reached the entrance of the castle, where two goblin guards stood guard. In fact, weren't they the same guards who had been at the entrance twenty-eight years ago? One did look a little flattened, as a matter a fact. Hoggle didn't bother addressing them and Sarah was surprised they didn't stop them, though they did peek up at Sarah curiously.

The castle hadn't changed either, Sarah reminisced as they walked through the castle in the direction of the throne room. Goblins ran all over, some carrying food and others simply partying. Sarah didn't notice any of them individually, until she heard what one goblin was saying to the other.

"Must find him, silly boy. The king isn't happy, no. He went into quite a fit when the boy told Rimgroll that he was going to find Sarah. Strange, isn't it? But the boy was never quite normal, was he?"

Sarah hurried to catch up to Hoggle, asking, "Are they talking about the prince?"

"Probably. He's always running away or doing something strange."

"But they were talking about me."

"Luckily, they see Sarah more as historical figure, so they probably won't recognize you. Oh, here we are."

The throne room was before them, and Sarah looked through the chaos of goblins everywhere, looking for one particular figure. When she had last seen the throne room, it was empty, but now it was filled with goblins drinking, singing, dancing, and other generally loud things. In the middle of the room sat a throne. On that throne sat a single figure, the only serious person in the room. Had he always been this serious? That wasn't how she remembered him.

Jareth, king of the goblins. She had not seen him for twenty-eight year, but, like everything else in the city, he didn't seem to have changed at all. He wore the same clothes, had the same hair, and didn't look a day older. She was surprised, but she felt her heart beating. It must have been because she was nervous.

Hoggle addressed one of the guards and, though she didn't know what he said, the guard glanced up at her in surprise. He turned and banged his long stick on the ground and announced, "Sarah to see you, your Majesty."

Jareth turned slowly, and he and Sarah locked eyes. His expression changed in an instance, from boredom to amazement. He slowly rose to his feet, unsteady. He looked her up and down, as if trying to ascertain whether she was a mirage or not. When he spoke, his voice was unsteady. "Sarah."

She took a step forward, into the room. "You're him, aren't you? You're the goblin king?"

He seemed to be taken aback. Those were the first words she had ever spoken to him. A smile flickered over his face. "You cannot possibly want your brother back again?"

"No," she looked him firmly in the eye, and he could see the same defiance as so many years before. "I want my daughter back."


	4. Chapter Three

**Here's chapter three. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it. I really started this story for nothing more than my own pleasure, but it's nice to hear others don't find it dreadful. If you guys notice anything you don't like, or think I can change-like grammar-, let me know. I always like getting criticism, but any comment is nice really. The plot is actually going to start picking up in the next chapter. Look forward to next Saturday-and wish me luck for starting a new school semester Monday.**

**CHAPTER THREE. THE UNSEEN ENTRANCE**

Jordan shoved him away, and the stranger staggered back. "Who the hell are you?" she demanded, crossing her arms. He hadn't feed her drugs, had he? Did she inhale something that was making her see this?

He smiled and stood before her, gesturing out over the labyrinth. "I am prince of this world. Welcome to my labyrinth?"

"Are you high?" Jordan questioned. "Because, personally, I'm beginning to wonder if you are."

"High?" He looked slightly perplexed. He shook his head. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, but I suppose, yes, since we are on a hill."

"Right." Jordan looked at him with a fake concerned look on her face. "You know, mental illness is a curable disease. At least, that's what they tell me. You know I have a great counsellor I could call up. Not that I ever go, but I hear she's great."

He looked slightly frustrated. "Don't you get it? You don't control this, I do. I am Prince Calcifer, prince and heir to the Goblin Kingdom."

"You mean, like in the book?" She reached and pulled _The Labyrinth_ out of her pack, and pointed to the cover. "Like this?"

He grabbed it from her hand and, when she tried to grab it back, held it high above her head. This was the curse of being short. He looked at it for a minute. "This is my father's book."

"Your father? Your father is Jareth?" She paused. "And my mom is Sarah. Which means…?"

He interrupted before she could finish. "My father loved your mother, for whatever reason. I still don't understand why. You know the only thing she did in return? She dumped him and practically destroyed our country. Even now we haven't fully recovered. And yet, after all this, he still hasn't admitted how stupid he was."

He took a step towards her, causing her to take a step back. "He still loves her, you know."

Okay, so his solution? Kidnap her? "Excuse me from breaking you away from your sob story, but what does this have to do with me? Might I remind you, but I could have you arrested for kidnapping of a minor, stalking, and possibly sexual harassment. Are you in the manner of hugging every random girl you meet?"

He starred at her for a minute with a perplexed look on his face. "You know, you're not much like Sarah."

She waved her arms in frustration. "But I'm not Sarah. I'm Jordan. Now, take…me…back…home!"

His let out a laugh. "Nope, sorry." He leaned towards her. "How about this? You just do what your mother did. Solve the Labyrinth, get to the goblin castle, and I'll take you back home. Of course, I'm not going to help you like my father helped Sarah, but I'm sure you can handle it. Easy, right."

Jordan watched his face for a moment. He seemed frightfully serious. Impossible. She did not want to have to deal with this. She already had enough to deal with, and now she had to solve a mythical labyrinth controlled by a mental goblin prince to get home? "You have got to be kidding me!"

He shrugged, giving her a bright smile. "Maybe, if you ask nicely, I might show you the entrance."

Jordan narrowed her eyes. She walked forward, and grabbed _The Labyrinth_ book out of his hand. "No, thank you. I'd rather eat puke off of a moldy piece of bread that's been left on a dirt road after it rained than ask for the help of an egotistic and dim-witted dolt." She pushed past him and started down the hill.

Calcifer turned in shock to watch her go. What was that? Who did she think she was, defying him? Egotistic? Dim-witted? Dolt? Did she have any idea who she was dealing with? She obviously didn't. He clenched his fist. Maybe his plan wouldn't be as simple as he thought.

Jordan trumped down the hill, pleased with herself for not bonking him on the head with something hard and heavy. She was sure her counselor would be pleased with her. "Calm your anger, Jordan," She'd say, in the one meeting where they actually met. Well, Jordan had.

She came to the edge of the labyrinth, surrounded by a tall wall. Right, so she had to find a door. She opened the book in her hand. This should be helpful. She flipped through the first pages. "Goblin king. Give me back my brother. Solve the labyrinth. Hoggle…" She paused. "Wait a second! Hoggle?"

Uncle Toby had mentioned meeting him when he was five. She read over the meeting. "Wait, I though Uncle Toby said he was a goblin. Here it says he's a dwarf. Typical Uncle T. He still gets everything outside of work wrong. Let's see. An unseen entrance, eh? Alright, how hard can an unseen entrance be to find, right?" When her mom had come last time, she had had Hoggle to help her get in. Jordan didn't have that. "Luckily, I'm not as oblivious as my mother."

She went up to the wall, feeling it up. It was covered with vines and foot holes. Alright, she could try to climb it. But, possibly, there might be a magic barrier hindering her from doing this. She might as well try, though. It would be easier than finding the entrance. She started climbing, sticking her fingers and black combat boots in one hole after another. She was surprised how easy it was. She could see the top. Her upper hand reached the top. Yes, and there wasn't a barrier.

Suddenly, she heard a buzzing sound. She glanced behind, trying to keep a firm grip. At first, she thought locusts were buzzing around behind her, and it took her a moment to realize they weren't any kind of animal. In fact, they looked like little people with wings. "Fairies? Seriously?"

Wait a second, she thought fairies were nice. At least, that's what they said in those fairytale books they used to read her in preschool. Though, oddly enough, these fairies didn't look as nice. In fact, what were they doing? Were they…

"Ahhh!" The fairies flew at her, biting at her hands and feet. Her hands slipped, and she fell. She crashed on the ground ten feet below. Luckily, the ground was soft and covered with moss. But it still knocked the breath out of her. The moment she was on the ground, the fairies flew into a hole in the wall.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded, climbing to her feet.

"Do you admit defeat."

She turned, finding Prince Calcifer, prince and heir of the goblin kingdom, behind her. She tried to remember to breathe. Must…not…break…his…head…open…with…shovel. "On the contrary, I've figured it out."

Jordan turned and walked up to the wall to where the fairies vanished. Beside the hole, hidden behind vines, was a insignia. She pushed it, praying it would work.

The moment she pressed it, there was this rumbling sound, and an invisible door swung open. She glanced back at the prince to give him a victorious look, and then trumped through the door. So there. She wasn't about to let him try to help her-it would probably come at a price anyway.

She walked up the walkway, thinking of a plan. #1: Get to the center of the labyrinth-without any help from Mr. Loony back there. #2: Get back home-at least, get back to earth. #3: Convince her mom not the ground her.

Maybe somewhere in between, she'd find time to punch Prince Calcifer in the nose: that would make her feel a lot better.

Calcifer watched her go. Without thinking, he stumped his foot on the ground. "You don't understand," he said to no one in particular. "Why can't you just cooperate?"


	5. Chapter Four

**Here's chapter four. If you guys haven't noticed already, the chapters will be alternatively chapters with Sarah/Jareth and Jordan/Calcifer-though they will interchange near the end. Now that school has started, I'll try to stay on the same schedule of once a week on Saturday. Hopefully, I will have time to write. It's a little hectic, especially since I am uploading a story on fictionpress at the same time I'm uploading this one, so I'm writing two stories at once. I know, I have a death wish. However, I will still be on the same schedule, unless my teachers decide to give me a huge project last minute. So, if I don't post Saturdays, check my profile-I'll post announcements there. Thanks for all the support and, if you made it this far into my introduction, please review and let me know what you think.**

**CHAPTER FOUR. REPEATING THE PAST?**

"I want my daughter back."

Jareth stayed still. She could see now; he had changed. Yes, his appearance itself didn't have a drastic change, but something had changed. He looked more serious, and she could see lines on his face. Had his eyes always been so forlorn? Sarah took a step forward confidently.

"Your daughter?" Jareth repeated slowly. "You have a daughter?"

"Yes, and I'd like her back."

He watched her for a moment, and then shrugged calmly. The goblin king sat back down on his throne, reaching for a drink. "I didn't take her."

"No. Your son did."

Jareth paused before taking a sip of the drink, and looked back at her. "My son? Whatever for?"

"I suggest you ask him?" Sarah took another step forward, telling herself to remain calm. She wasn't fifteen anymore. She was an adult and she was a mother who was trying to protect her daughter. All her fears of this man were gone, she told herself. They were now on even terrain. "I watched a young man grab my daughter from my world and they vanished. Unless there is someone else who could that, it must be your son. I don't know why he wanted her, but your business has nothing to do with us. As his father, you have to take responsibility for your son's actions. Do you deny this fact?"

He let out a soft laugh. "You haven't changed at all, Sarah. You still have that fire."

"And I don't appreciate having to use it! Give me back my daughter! I know you have the power to find her, even if you weren't the one to kidnap her. It's your Labyrinth! Find her!" Sarah felt almost at the point of tears. She wanted so badly to hold her daughter in her arms; to tell her she was so sorry for not being there when Jordan needed her most.

Jareth stayed silent for a moment, watching her. Finally, he rose and came toward her. He stopped several feet from her and held his hand out before him. In it appeared a crystal ball, one that she was all too familiar with. A slight smile crossed his face. "This is a crystal, nothing more. But if you look into it, you can see anything you want to." He held it out to her. "If you look into this, you will find your daughter."

For a moment, Sarah didn't move. The first time he had offered her this, it had been for her to forget everything. She had firmly refused. Could this be a similar thing? If she took that crystal, would she really see her daughter? Or would she forget everything? Did she want to take the chance? She slowly shook her head. "How do I know if you're telling the truth?"

He shook his head slowly. "You still don't trust me?"

"I never did, nor will I ever. I apologize for coming back. If it had been up to me, I would never have come back. All I want is to find my daughter and go back home. Then you will never have to deal with me again."

Jareth dropped his hand to his side, still holding the crystal. "That would only be true under the assumption that I didn't want to see you again. You know, Sarah, I have been looking forward to the time when you would come back. And I knew you would, one day or another. Our destiny was always intertwined. I have, however, no reason to wish your daughter harm. In fact, I am curious to meet her and see if she is anything like you. I will help you, I assure you. But you must give me something in return."

She knew it; there was always a catch with this man. "What is it?"

He held the ball up again. "Until we find your daughter, you stay in the castle. When you are reunited with her, you may go back to your world. But you cannot leave my side until then." She didn't say anything. "And, believe me, it is for your good as well as mine. The labyrinth is a much more dangerous place than it was when you solved it. I don't want you wandering around it alone. Do you agree?"

"On one condition. You will find her as soon as possible."

Jareth looked pleased, as if he knew he had won. "Certainly." He clapped his hands and a goblin appeared at his side. The king addressed him. "Show Sarah to a guest chamber. When she is settled in, have her come down to the orb room. We'll look for her daughter there." He nodded at Sarah. "Go with him."

"You make it sound like we will have trouble finding her."

"Oh, my dear, finding her isn't the problem. It's getting to her."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I thought you controlled the Labyrinth completely."

"Certainly, but so does my son. And he has a way of outmaneuvering me if I'm not careful. We must move cautiously."

"It sounds like you don't have much control over your son."

He looked at her, smiling. "Well, do you?"

Sarah pursed her lips. She thought about pretending not to know what he meant. It made her angry, but he was right. She wasn't sure if she had ever had control over Jordan, but she certainly didn't now. It was surprised her, how she and the goblin king could have something in common. She didn't answer him, but changed the topic. "How long do you think it's going to take?"

"Hopefully, a few days." He looked serious. "At least, I hope for your daughter's safety, that it's under a week."

Sarah let the goblin escort her upstairs as Hoggle followed, leaving the goblin king behind. Jareth didn't stay long in the throne room after she left, but hurried upstairs to his orb room. He wanted some time alone before she joined him. He wanted a chance to find out some things before he had to deal with her. It had been too sudden; her abrupt appearance had rattled him.

Jareth reached the room and closed the door behind him, leaving the other goblins outside. Their laughter and childishness taxed on his nerves some days. He sat down in the chair before the large orb and crossed his arms. He didn't even bother to use his magic; he knew he didn't need it. Instead, he merely said, "Calcifer, I need to talk to you."

Immediately, the orb misted and showed an image of his son. Despite looking so much alike, the two could not be more different. There were few people Jareth feared, and, though he hated to admit it, there were days when he feared his son. Was it because of the boy's mother? Possibly. He tried to avoid thoughts of her.

Calcifer smiled. "Father, what a pleasant surprise. You'll never guess what I have been up to."

"Kidnapping Sarah's daughter?"

He didn't miss a beat, though a faint hint of surprise crossed his face. "Indeed, how did you know?"

"A friend came to visit me today. And, thanks to a certain someone not warning me, I was completely taken by surprise."

"Sarah's there?" Calcifer chapped his hands together. "You see, my plan is coming together perfectly. Isn't this the time for you to thank me?"

"You sound like me. Why should I thank you?"

"I'm the reason she's here, isn't she? You've been wanting her to come for years, haven't you?"

"So?"

"So? This is your chance, of course. I assume you've already promised her that you'd help find her daughter, so all you have to do is feign searching for as long as possible. Eventually, you might be able to convince her to stay forever."

Jareth pursed his lips. "Why are you doing this, Cal? Being helpful to others isn't something you usually thrive in. What do you get out of this?"

"Amusement, father." Calcifer glanced off to the side. "Oh, dear, it appears Jordan has gotten herself in trouble." He glanced back at his father. "Don't worry, I'll look over everything here, you just enjoy your time with your beloved. Got to go."

"Calcifer, wait!"

The mirror went blank.

Jareth sat there for a moment, thinking. What should he do? Should he help find Sarah's daughter, or should he try to win her mother's heart? He felt unsure.

A tap on the door was followed by a goblin entering. "Sarah to see you soon."

Jareth sighed. He had always been the selfish one. Why change now? "Send her in."


	6. Chapter Five

**CHAPTER FIVE. A BATTLE OF WITS BEGINS**

Jordan whacked the bush with her foot, venting her anger. "Go to hell, crazy goblin prince!" She shouted at no one in particular. What moron gave an idiot like that power to control a labyrinth? "Focus, focus." She looked around her at the maze. If she estimated time properly-since somehow her cellphone stopped working so she couldn't tell time-, she had been walking for about an hour. It seemed, though, more like days.

Naturally, she hadn't just been walking. She had just finished reading the Labyrinth. Jordan reminisced on what would have happened if she hadn't thrown it in her bag by accident when she was throwing her school books in. Then, she wasn't sure how she could figure out how to get through this Labyrinth. Not that she was that far as it was. And she kept tripping on these damn roots.

She had missed the worm somehow, she wasn't sure how. She personally would have liked a spot of tea at this time. Then again, she doubted this journey was going to be anything like her mother's, as the two people solving the Labyrinth looked at the world so very different. Jordan was slightly ashamed, however, at how adamantly she had made fun of her mother for believing in fairytales. Now that she herself was in one, she could not deny that reality now. Naturally, she could be still dreaming and soon she would wake up to find she was still in bed that morning. Anything was possible.

Just then, she rounded the corner and stopped, coming in sight of a rather strange pair. She couldn't say they were people, and she certainly couldn't say they were humans. Instead, they were small, impish creatures that came to about her waist. What they lacked in height, however, they made up in width. The tops of their heads were completely bald, except for a small white patch at the tops of their heads. These couldn't be goblins, she reckoned. Perhaps they were some sort of dwarf.

As she approached, they had their heads bowed together, whispered fervently to one another. When they were aroused by her approach, they jumped and hit their heads together. Finally, after they had recovered and pocked each other, they calmly turned to inspect her. One leaned to the other and whispered, this time in a voice loud enough for Jordan to hear, "This is the one, isn't she, number 1?"

"Certainly not, number 2. If she was, why isn't she up at the castle?"

"But she's the only human we've seen, number 1. Surely she must be the one."

Number 1 glared at Number 2, and pocked him with his boney arm in the belly. "She-is-not-her!"

"Mustn't be, then, must she?"

Jordan had had enough. For speaking English, these two sure didn't make much sense. "Right, this is a lot of fun, but I'm kind of in a hurry. You two wouldn't happen to know the way to the castle, would you?"

"Castle!" Number 2 squeaked, causing Number 1 to hit him in the stomach again. "What castle?"

Jordan rolled her eyes. She really didn't have time to deal with two buffoons. "The castle you were just talking about. The castle at the center of the Labyrinth." She rolled her eyes and said quietly to herself, "I can't believe I just said that out loud."

Number 1 squinted. "Before we can help you, you must answer my riddles."

"You're serious? You wouldn't happened to be named Sméagol in a past life, would you?" She racked her fingers through her hair. "This is unbelievable! Here I am, stuck in a world where random princes force girls to solve Labyrinths for no reason, and people won't even give directions!"

"Unpleasant one, isn't she?" Number 2 whispered to Number 1.

"I heard that!" Jordan turned back to them, sighing. "Fine, I'm sorry. It's just, in the last three hours, I've gotten in a fight, got kicked out of school, got kidnapped, and now I'm being forced to solve a Labyrinth my mother solved decades ago. You must understand that doesn't make me one happy camper."

Number 2 whispered again, "I told you, she's the one."

"Hush!" Number 1 commanded, then turning back to Jordan. "We will help you if you answer three riddles first."

This wasn't going well. "Fine, I'll answer your riddles. What's the first?"

He cleared his throat. "If it took twelve goblins two days to build a house, how long would it take six goblins to build that house? I will give you two chances to answer it"

She looked at him with a blank expression. "Are you seriously asking me to do a math question? Seriously. Fine, I can do that." She thought of a moment, dividing and multiplying in her head. Finally, she figured it out. "It would take them four days, right?"

"Is that your answer?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course it's my answer."

"Not the one, not the one," Number 2 murmured in the background.

"I am sorry," Number 1 stated. "That is not correct."

Jordan paused. "It isn't?" Great, what did she do wrong in the math? Twelve was twice the people at six, so they would take half the time as six. So, if twelve took two days, six took twice that. So, wait…Jordan glanced at the strange imp. This had to be a trick question. Math wasn't the answer, was it? She wracked her brains, trying to figure it out. A light bulb went on in her head. "It couldn't be that, could it?"

"Pardon?"

She glanced up. "It took them nothing. The house has already been built."

"Final answer?"

"Yes, is it correct?"

The imp bowed. "Indeed, it is correct."

Jordan shook her head. "Seriously, that's absurd." She could barely figure out that first one. How could she solve two more? "Second riddle?"

Number 1 cleared his throat again. "I am needed in life but not in death and you can't start fun without me. What am I?"

Life? Death? Fun? Jordan thought for a moment. This has to be a trick question again. It had to be an obvious answer, but something that you wouldn't think of. What was needed in life but not in death and fun couldn't be started without it. What did life and fun have in common? "Wait a minute! I've got it. It's the letter F, right?"

"Is that your answer?"

"You know, when I give an answer, why would I change it until I know it's correct or not?" Jordan was beginning to feel slightly exasperated. She felt like she was wasting time. "Well, is it right?"

"It is, milady. Next riddle. What gives magic, but makes you powerless to use it?"

"Pardon?"

"What gives magic, but makes you powerless to use it."

Jordan thought for a moment. What give magic, but makes you powerless to use it? She was stumped. "Can you give me a hint?"

"It is something in this Labyrinth."

In this Labyrinth? How was she supposed to know that? She couldn't even think of anything. "I don't know."

"Final answer?"

"There is not answer if I don't know! How am I supposed to know that if I'm not even from the Labyrinth?"

"Then I'm afraid we can't help you."

"Fine, but can you at least tell me the answer?"

"Sorry, no."

Jordan rolled her eyes again. Great, this had been a waste of time. "Well, thanks for nothing." She turned and headed done the rock path again. This wasn't getting her anywhere. But as she walked, she couldn't help but wonder what the answer had been: What gives magic, but makes you powerless to use it?

What was the answer?

"Is she the one, Number 1?"

Number 1 and Number 2 watched the strange human girl leave. "She is, Number 2, wish we could help her more, I did."

"Do you think she will succeed, Number 1?"

A deep British voice answered back. "She has to."

The two imps turned, bowing when they saw the source of the voice. Number 1 rose first. "Your highness, salutations. I beg your pardon for being so bold. But the girl…"

"No, you did the right thing." Calcifer slowly immerged from the shadows, watching the girl disappear about a stone wall. "If this problem is to be solved, she will have to have help." He gritted his teeth. "It would just be easier if she could actually accept that help." Calcifer looked up at the castle. "A storm is coming, gentleman, it has been brewing for twenty-eight years, and I'm afraid it's about to strike.

**Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I've been really pleased at how kind people have been in their comments-I appreciate it. I don't really have anything new to add-too much homework to think. Hopefully, I can continue on the same schedule as I've been doing, and I look forward to hear what you guys think of this chapter. See you next week.**


	7. Chapter Six

**Here's chapter six-a couple hours late, I know. I'm glad to hear you guys are enjoying it so far, though I'm not completely happy with the character development. Anyway, I can't think of much new to say. Let me know what you think, and I'll see you all next week.**

**CHAPTER SIX. IN A TWISTING MIRROR**

Sarah entered the strange room. In the front was a tall mirror, and all the other walls glimmered from the reflection of its misty glow. In the center of the room sat a tall throne, wherein sat the goblin king. He watched her as she entered, and then gestured to a seat that sat beside him. Reluctantly, she took it.

He watched her as she sat. "Your clothes are muddy and wet. Perhaps you would be more comfortable changing into another dress. I have many at your disposal."

"No, thank you, I'm afraid I have a bad experience with your dresses. You must remember the orb you put me in. The ball."

"How could I forget?" He smiled. "It was the only chance I had to hold you in my arms."

"And it was a lie. A mere dream."

"It seemed real enough." Jareth turned back to look at the mirror. "Now, shall we start?"

Sarah nodded, firmly. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. She was hoping she and Jordan would be back home back dinnertime.

Jareth gestured with his hand towards the mirror, and it slowly buzzed to life, casting ever changing colored shadows across the room. "Find Sarah's daughter," Jareth commanded it in a low, commanding voice. But oddly enough, was that a tremble she heard in his voice?

Sarah turned to watch the mirror. It flickered several times, and then formulated a picture slowly, going from blurry to clear. Jordan's face slowly materialized in the mirror, causing Sarah to jump up and want to run to it. "Jordan!" She yelled, as if she hoped that her daughter would hear her.

Just to make it clear that she couldn't, Jareth commanded, "Sit, she cannot hear you." He squinted his eyes, examining the picture.

Sarah's daughter looked surprisingly like her, though she seemed to be trying to look completely different than her. Jordan had the same dark hair as her mother, but it was cut short. She had the same greenish eyes, and oval face, but she wore no makeup. Her clothes presented the most stark contrast with her mother's. It almost appeared as if she had made the clothes all out of the same fabric, each very black. Black skinny jeans, black sweatshirt over what appeared to be a black shirt, and black shoes. Every piece of clothing also seemed to have at least several prominent holes. Her jeans were ragged, and her sweater had holes near the hands, in which she was putting her thumb. It was all very strange, as if this was a Sarah that had somehow turned to the dark side.

He finally got to looking at her surroundings, just as Sarah pointed out, "She's still in the stone area. That means she can't be very far."

"Naturally, she hasn't been in there more than two hours. It would be easier to collect her if she were closer to the castle, but so be it." He banged his fist on his chair, and a goblin entered the room, shivering from fear.

"S-s-s-ir?"

"Take some goblins and go find Sarah's daughter. She is in the stone maze, but she may have gotten to the maze garden before you can reach her. Hurry, she must be found!"

The goblin bowed and rushed out, looking even more scared.

When he had gone, Jareth turned to Sarah. "All we have to do is wait."

"That's it? Aren't you going to do anything else? You're the king of the goblins. Can't you just transport to where she is and back again. It would take a matter of minutes."

"That would not be possible, Sarah. I'm afraid the Labyrinth will not allow that. As she has already entered the Labyrinth, the only way she can leave is if she solves the Labyrinth. It is against the rules for me personally to help her, but, as you witnessed, the people in the Labyrinth are so much more helpful. That is why I sent goblins to help her. They'll get her through the labyrinth in one piece, I assure you. But I can do nothing to help."

"But didn't you help me? At least, you claimed to." Sarah didn't feel comfortable bringing up the past, but it was probably necessary to do to solve the present situation.

"I reordered time. I did not actually help you within the Labyrinth."

"You're right. In fact, you sent the cleaners after me. And you caused me to nearly fall into the Bog of Eternal Stench. That is the exact opposite of helping."

"Please, Sarah, forget the past." He leaned forward and grabbed ahold of her hands. "Can't we start over? I've made so many mistakes. I lost you once, and I've regretted it ever since. In the short time we have, the least I can do is try to make it all up to you. I will try my best to help your daughter, but in return, I beg you to make an attempt at civility."

Sarah pursed her lips. She wanted to get up and leave. She wanted to not have to see this man ever again. But right now, that wasn't an option. And she knew that he didn't have to help her. He could force her to stay here if he wanted to; she wasn't sure she had the power anymore to stop him. If she offended him, he could very well leave her daughter to whatever devices waited for her in the labyrinth. And she didn't have the power to stop him.

She shook herself. What was she thinking? She was the same girl who fought her way past the goblin city to rescue her baby brother. She had defied the will of a powerful goblin king without fear, and yet now she sat trembling in front of the same man. But then again, she wasn't fifteen anymore either. She had learned about fear in the last decades and she realized she was frightened to death of losing her daughter. Even if she had to bow before this man, she might actually do it if it meant saving her daughter.

Jordan. Jordan wasn't Sarah, was she? Sarah had solved the Labyrinth. Did that mean that Jordan could solve it too, or was she too different to be able to? Sarah wouldn't have made it without help, so would Jordan be able to if she didn't find help either? Would she find people like Hoggle and Ludo that would save her when she needed it? Sarah looked up.

"You're right. Civility is the least I can give in return for your help. But that is all. Do not take courtesy for trust. If you try to hurt Jordan or keep me here, I won't let you get away with it."

Jareth bowed his head.

Sarah got up. "Well, if that's all, I think I'll go have a talk with Hoggle."

The goblin king rose. "Wait, please. At least consent to be my dinner guest. You must eat. Even strangers may eat together. Join me."

She paused for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Grand!" He walked around the table, walking her out of the room. "I shall prepare a feast. And please, feel free to ask for anything. If it is in my ability to give, I will give it."

Sarah refused the goblin king's offer to walk her to her room and hurried back to her room alone. Half of her wished she could have found an excuse to not go to dinner, but she couldn't back out now. Her mind went to the picture she had seen in her mirror. Jordan was out there all alone, while she was being wined and dined by the one person she swore to hate for all eternity. Maybe, if she was especially nice to him, he might put more effort into finding her daughter. Or not.

She rubbed her temple. She just wished everything could be simple. She wished she had never heard of the goblin king or his labyrinth. But it was too late now. Or was it?


	8. Chapter Seven

**Here's the next chapter, as promised. I personally could have excluded a certain little fury creature-you'll meet him in this chapter-from the story, but I just like him so much. Maybe in rewrites I'll get rid of him; maybe not. Anyway, thank you for all your kind words of encouragement-I'm really floored at how nice you all have been. I've heard a lot of horror stories about people being really mean in reviewing stories, but every single review I've got has been really helpful and considerate. It has really encouraged me to continue to write this story and upload on a regular schedule. So thanks again.**

**CHAPTER SEVEN. A LITTLE FRIEND?**

Squeak!

Jordan paused. Now she was hearing something. She still wasn't convinced she wasn't hallucinating this whole thing.

Squeak!

No, she wasn't hearing things. There _was_ some sort of small animal sound coming from somewhere around her. She hadn't made it very far in the last hour, still walking through the endless stone maze. Had it taken her mother this long to get through this part? Hadn't she solved the labyrinth is less than twenty-four hours? At this rate, it would take Jordan twice that.

Squeak!

Jordan got down on her hands and knees, examining the hole where the sounds came from. "Hello, little strange goblin creature!" She peaked in, trying to see in the darkness. Why was she even doing this? Seriously, she swore this place was making her go bonkers. Now she was groveling on the ground to find a tiny animal by talking in a creepy high voice. She seriously didn't want to think about what insane thing she was going to do next that would top this.

The little creature slowly popped its head out, squeaking again, and gave Jordan a chance to look at it. She usually wasn't the keep of person who was moved by cuteness of any animals-she had always disliked smelly animals-, but if there was one thing that could break that opinion, it would be this animal.

It looked more like a tiny pillow than an actual animal. There were no visible legs. Instead, it appeared that the creature jumped on this sort of manatee type tail the curled under the body. Its arms were tiny and ended in cute three-toed paws. The eyes were big and dark and on the top of the head were two tiny, pointy horns. Short, soft, white fur covered its body.

"What are you?" Jordan pointed out, reaching out her hand. Without hesitation, the creature hopped into her hand. It wasn't even that much bigger than her hand. "Wow, you're actually pretty adorable, aren't you?" She sat up, as the creature closing its eyes to slits and placed its arms over its head. "And don't you know it?"

She got up and raised the animal high in her hand. "Alright, which way."

Squeak!

"Well, that's helpful. Sarcasm intended."

The creature jumped off her hand, dropping to the ground and bouncing off it. Bouncing up and down at a steady beat, it started off down a pathway. "Hey! Where are you off to?" Jordan called after it, only to have the creature turn, still jumping, and look at her. "Oh, you want me to follow you, do you? Might as well. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Bouncer-the name she was going to call the creature from now on because that is exactly what it did-bounced down the path, with Jordan running after it. Saying this, Jordan was actually surprised that she had to actually run to keep up with the little thing. You would think that a six inch tall creature wouldn't be able to jump that quickly, but that apparently wasn't the case. Within minutes, she was out of breath. This is what she got for bailing on gym every day. Seriously, who thought gym would come in useful in life? How was she supposed to know she should have jogged more often to get in shape for following a fantasy creature in the middle of a goblin labyrinth? Did that sound whack to anyone besides her?

Bouncer bounced around a corner and, as Jordan turned, she saw before her two doors, guarded by two very unique figures. She recalled reading something about them in her mother's book. These four who looked more like two were guards of two doors, one leading to the castle at the center of the labyrinth and the other leading to certain death. One of them always told the truth, and the other one always lied. Personally, Jordan only remembered one main thing: her mother hadn't chosen right. After all, Sarah had ended up in the oubliette. _She_ certainly wouldn't consider that choosing right.

Jordan came to a stop in front of them, and Bouncer jumped high up on her shoulder (jeez, for such a little thing, he could sure jump high). The four creatures, upside down and right side up, peeked out their heads. "Right," Jordan started. "So I'm Jordan."

"You are Sarah's daughter, aren't you?" The bottom left creature stated, looking completely terrified. Strange, she didn't remember any mention of them looking terrified when her mother met them.

"I'm glad I've become a celebrity. That's always been at the top of my list. And who wouldn't want to be a celebrity daughter of someone who was forcibly made to solve a goblin labyrinth? Of course, I _have_ always wanted people to be afraid of me. But in all seriousness, I know exactly which door leads to the castle. It's the left one, because my mom took the right one. Right, Bouncer?"

Bouncer squeaked angrily, causing the four creatures to quickly back away from them, unblocking both doors. "Where are you four off to?" The creatures didn't answer Jordan's question, merely vanishing behind stone walls. Jordan looked over at Bouncer. "I thought they'd be friendlier myself, but I'm not one to judge. So, squeak if the right door goes to the castle."

The creature stayed silent.

"Alright. Now, squeak if the left door goes to the castle."

Squeak!

"Nifty. Thanks, Bouncer. I may actually start liking you, unless I fall through a trap door the moment I enter this door. Then we're enemies, mark my words." Jordan walked through the door confidently, ready to jump for it if she needed to. She was silent, and repeated in her head that she was not going to say anything about a piece of cake.

Luckily, a trapdoor didn't open below her feet. To her surprise, it actually worked. At the end of the tunnel sat another door, which she carefully opened, expecting any minute that something would crush her or knock her down or drop her in a hole. Sunlight met her eyes as she stepped out of the door, looking out into a new setting. In a way, it was slightly more relaxing on her eyes than the stone labyrinth.

Before her sat a maze garden. She recalled remembering that was where her mother ended up after she climbed up out of the oubliette. She glanced at Bouncer. "Not bad. You're incredibly useful, aren't you, little one? Now, which way."

Squeak!

Jordan headed forward. If she had looked up and behind her, though, she might not have been so pleased.

Calcifer watched, biting his lip. He was sitting on top of the door Jordan had just exited. He watched her chat away to the little creature on her shoulder. The sight almost made him smile. What a strange girl. On one hand, she flatly refused his help and gave him the impression of being stubborn and opinionated. But now that he saw her was Karsie, he wondered if his assumption had been slightly inaccurate. Maybe he had treated her slightly ungentlemanly.

"No," he shook his head. "I have to do this. I don't care who gets hurt. I have to do this."

"Sire?"

Calcifer turned, noticing the small goblin that was struggling to climb up on top of the tunnel. "Ah, Paydie, there you are. What's new up at the castle?"

The little goblin panted as he reached the top, collapsing next to the goblin prince. "Oh, lordy be, I swear I thought I would never make it up here alive. What is it with your fascination with high places? You know I'm terrified of heights."

"But isn't it refreshing to watch everyone, and know that they won't even bother to look up? It's ingenious, Paydie, it really is. But you wouldn't understand. The most important thing you care about is keeping the goblins' ale glasses full. So, I ask again, what is up at the castle?"

"You should know. Oh, your highness, you are playing a dangerous game. We know what you're trying to do, but don't you think it's too much. We've been trying for years to figure out a solution; what makes you think you'll be able to."

"Because I've got the key, of course."

"Key?"

"Yes, a key. That key may be stubborn and may make me half wish I left her in the human world, but, though I hate admitting it, I need her to save our world. And I hate that."

"Riddles again, Calcifer. I swear, I don't understand what you say half the time."

Calcifer went on as if he hadn't said anything. "I think I've been around my father too much, Paydie. He's wearing off on me. Tell me, what do you do to get a girl to like you?"

"That is an age-old question, sire."

"Well? What's the answer?"

"That depends on the girl, sir."

"Well, then this Jordan. How would you get her?"

"I haven't the foggiest, sir. Being married thirty years has made my courting skills a bit rusty."

"Don't worry, I've got oil. Where do we start?"


End file.
